Comments on: The family farm http://www.highwayhags.com/2009/06/26/the-family-farm/ We drive. We blah. We blah and drive and blah. Fri, 04 Nov 2011 02:44:39 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Online Poker http://www.highwayhags.com/2009/06/26/the-family-farm/comment-page-1/#comment-6541 Online Poker Thu, 30 Sep 2010 02:28:36 +0000 http://www.highwayhags.com/?p=2280#comment-6541 I always motivated by you, your views and attitude, again, appreciate for this nice post. - Murk I always motivated by you, your views and attitude, again, appreciate for this nice post.

- Murk

]]> By: Christine http://www.highwayhags.com/2009/06/26/the-family-farm/comment-page-1/#comment-5937 Christine Fri, 30 Oct 2009 22:29:14 +0000 http://www.highwayhags.com/?p=2280#comment-5937 Apparently those of you who mentioned growing up on a farm or being from families of farmers never actually payed much attention to the politics or management of the business... Subsidies are important in the fact that they allow the government to regulate domestic food prices so that you can afford to eat whatever you like and at the same time we as a nation can compete globally with food prices which accounts for a majority of that food you probably don't like. Everyone wants to be a budding environmentalist these days but do a little more research and look beyond your own political ideas... look up websites on USDA and FSA. There is a lot more to farming than sitting in a chair and watching the grass grow, or 'paint dry'. Apparently those of you who mentioned growing up on a farm or being from families of farmers never actually payed much attention to the politics or management of the business… Subsidies are important in the fact that they allow the government to regulate domestic food prices so that you can afford to eat whatever you like and at the same time we as a nation can compete globally with food prices which accounts for a majority of that food you probably don’t like. Everyone wants to be a budding environmentalist these days but do a little more research and look beyond your own political ideas… look up websites on USDA and FSA. There is a lot more to farming than sitting in a chair and watching the grass grow, or ‘paint dry’.

]]> By: Hedon http://www.highwayhags.com/2009/06/26/the-family-farm/comment-page-1/#comment-4372 Hedon Sun, 02 Aug 2009 01:20:25 +0000 http://www.highwayhags.com/?p=2280#comment-4372 Oh yeah the Boobery reference is to the current amount of general stupidity (boobery) we are having to deal with from our uber-stupid company. I don't think my boobs will actually go up anymore... unless I were upside down I guess... they probably would then. :) Oh yeah the Boobery reference is to the current amount of general stupidity (boobery) we are having to deal with from our uber-stupid company. I don’t think my boobs will actually go up anymore… unless I were upside down I guess… they probably would then. :)

]]> By: Hedon http://www.highwayhags.com/2009/06/26/the-family-farm/comment-page-1/#comment-4371 Hedon Sun, 02 Aug 2009 01:16:00 +0000 http://www.highwayhags.com/?p=2280#comment-4371 Hi Denise, And welcome. Anyone who appreciates "Ask" is always someone we'd like hanging around. Stace says I should point out right off the bat that I wrote "Family Farm" while she wrote "The Real Price of Fuel" and that she doesn't agree with some of what I say in "Family Farm" while at the same time she defends my right to be completely wrong. :) Also, she says, "Hi, and welcome." I think you have a valid point -- to an extent. We've already seen some of it in trucking just as there has already been some of what you're talking about in farming. I guess for me it's a matter of how do you want to pay the piper. Cause I think we all know at least one piper is going to be standing there right next to you with their hand out at any given time. Let's take farming. If there were no subsidies of any sort -- including to big agro-industry -- then the little family farm more than likely couldn't compete with the big guys in producing food for the mass market at rock bottom prices. For one thing they don't have the "economy of scale" or whatever it's called on their side. But they do have the ability to become highly specialized. They can offer organic veggies, free-range animals, and fruit that was only picked by the light of the full moon by virgins wearing flowing purple caftans. By catering to people who demand higher quality, they could charge a lot more for their output than the big farm that is going for market dominance by charging the lowest price possible. Here's where it all comes together for me... a subsidy is something we all pay whether we want to or not. Whether we eat that particular food or not. While higher prices at the grocery store only affects those of us who are committed to virgin-picked fruit or whatever. For myself, I would rather pay more at the grocery store for the food I buy than pay a bunch of subsidies to farmers growing thing like hummus that I am never going to eat again of my own free will. And oddly enough I just experienced this last month when we were at home and I went grocery shopping. For the first time in my life I actively looked for Organic veggies and bought them almost exclusively. I didn't mind the higher price (much) because now that we're all crazy health focused it seemed like the thing to do. Stace will of course likely have an entirely different take on it... probably with 33% less blather. :) Hi Denise,

And welcome. Anyone who appreciates “Ask” is always someone we’d like hanging around. Stace says I should point out right off the bat that I wrote “Family Farm” while she wrote “The Real Price of Fuel” and that she doesn’t agree with some of what I say in “Family Farm” while at the same time she defends my right to be completely wrong. :) Also, she says, “Hi, and welcome.”

I think you have a valid point — to an extent. We’ve already seen some of it in trucking just as there has already been some of what you’re talking about in farming. I guess for me it’s a matter of how do you want to pay the piper. Cause I think we all know at least one piper is going to be standing there right next to you with their hand out at any given time.

Let’s take farming. If there were no subsidies of any sort — including to big agro-industry — then the little family farm more than likely couldn’t compete with the big guys in producing food for the mass market at rock bottom prices. For one thing they don’t have the “economy of scale” or whatever it’s called on their side.

But they do have the ability to become highly specialized. They can offer organic veggies, free-range animals, and fruit that was only picked by the light of the full moon by virgins wearing flowing purple caftans. By catering to people who demand higher quality, they could charge a lot more for their output than the big farm that is going for market dominance by charging the lowest price possible.

Here’s where it all comes together for me… a subsidy is something we all pay whether we want to or not. Whether we eat that particular food or not. While higher prices at the grocery store only affects those of us who are committed to virgin-picked fruit or whatever. For myself, I would rather pay more at the grocery store for the food I buy than pay a bunch of subsidies to farmers growing thing like hummus that I am never going to eat again of my own free will.

And oddly enough I just experienced this last month when we were at home and I went grocery shopping. For the first time in my life I actively looked for Organic veggies and bought them almost exclusively. I didn’t mind the higher price (much) because now that we’re all crazy health focused it seemed like the thing to do.

Stace will of course likely have an entirely different take on it… probably with 33% less blather. :)

]]> By: Denise http://www.highwayhags.com/2009/06/26/the-family-farm/comment-page-1/#comment-4370 Denise Sun, 02 Aug 2009 00:13:49 +0000 http://www.highwayhags.com/?p=2280#comment-4370 Argghhh! Finally I get it right when I don't leave the comment. Last try. What I wanted to say is that I found your blog through "ask", and I'm really enjoying it. But I wanted to say this about "family farms". Try takng your own post about "the real price of fuel" and adapt it to farming. Small farms can't compete with agro-industry, and go bust. Agro-industry moves in, takes the land, and implements insecticides, pesticides, monoculture, genetically manipulated crops, cheap seasonal labour and anything else that boosts productivity regardless of any effects to the landscape, environment, local communities or quality of food. What do we lose? Diversity, choce, communities, local flora and fauna, healthy food. What price then, subsidies? Not saying that all fanily farms are good, but I certainly don't want my choice of something as essential as food being dictated to me by profit motivated agro-industry conglomerates. P.S. What does Boobery" mean? Your boobs go up and down? Argghhh! Finally I get it right when I don’t leave the comment. Last try. What I wanted to say is that I found your blog through “ask”, and I’m really enjoying it. But I wanted to say this about “family farms”. Try takng your own post about “the real price of fuel” and adapt it to farming. Small farms can’t compete with agro-industry, and go bust. Agro-industry moves in, takes the land, and implements insecticides, pesticides, monoculture, genetically manipulated crops, cheap seasonal labour and anything else that boosts productivity regardless of any effects to the landscape, environment, local communities or quality of food. What do we lose? Diversity, choce, communities, local flora and fauna, healthy food. What price then, subsidies? Not saying that all fanily farms are good, but I certainly don’t want my choice of something as essential as food being dictated to me by profit motivated agro-industry conglomerates.

P.S. What does Boobery” mean? Your boobs go up and down?

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